Chasing Dark Wizards
by SnowyOwl103
Summary: Dumbledore selects Hermione and Severus Snape to track down a band of Death Eaters that are moving south. They depart on a field mission together hating each other, will they end up being friends and perhaps even more along the way? Also, why are the Death Eaters being sent south? What is Voldemort planning? Set in spring of sixth year, short story, HG and SS romance.
1. Chapter 1

Dumbledore was pacing around in his study when Hermione entered. She noted the strained look on the Headmaster's usually serene face before speaking. " I do hope this is important sir, " she said brusquely, not happy at being called out of Transfiguration, "McGonagall is handing out our final grades and I really want to see if I got the extra credit I worked for."

"Ms. Granger there are more important things going on right now than your grades," the Headmaster murmured, still pacing energetically, his silver blue robes swinging to match his rhythmic turns. Suddenly he whirled to face the perch where Fawkes sat, clicking his beak occasionally. "Please go get Severus, Fawkes, if he shows up any later the trail will be cold!" As the phoenix spread his golden red plumage and took off to do his master's bidding, Hermione mulled over the situation. She had not seen the Headmaster so agitated in quite some time. "What's going on sir, and what is this trail you are referring to?" she questioned, but her query was only met with a few muddled mutterings.

_Has he lost it?_, she wondered inwardly, before being ashamed of herself for such a thought. Dumbledore may not stick to conventional methods but he had always come through and been reliant for her, Harry, and Ron. _He will surely explain soon_, she thought, and settled in to wait, leaning against the stone wall next to a portrait on the wall. "Dear, we really should do something with your hair," clucked the middle aged woman depicted in the painting. Hermione narrowed her eyes and pretended she hadn't heard.

The portrait continued to prattle on about witches hair products, all of which Hermione politely overheard, until the door slammed open to admit a certain dark professor with a face containing the emotional depth of a stone. _Ah, and the room lights up with this cheerful presence_, Hermione though darkly, immediately pissed off that she had to be in the same room with him. Dumbledore, however, seemed pleased. "Ah, thank you for coming so quickly Severus, I have urgent matters to discuss with you and Ms. Granger here." Snape's obsidian eyes turned slowly on her, still standing in the corner, then traveled back to the Headmaster. Dumbledore swept to his desk, flicking his wand at a long flat piece of fogged glass, about as big as Hermione's hand. The glass moved to float gently in front of the desk, and Hermione and Snape approached.

"Here is the situation," Dumbledore began, his eyes glittering intensely behind his half moon spectacles. " According to spies from the Order of the Phoenix, a small group of Dark Wizards has left Voldemort's side and seem to be making their way south, towards London. They are moving on foot and by broomstick instead of apparating, which we find suspicious. I need a small fast team to track them, spy on them, and have the necessary skills to defend themselves if needed. The emphasis of the mission at hand is _information_. We need to know Voldemort's plans, and with some luck you will be able to follow them far enough to discover any possible hideouts and the nature of the troops being recruited." He flicked his wand again and moving images filled the foggy glass, as clearly as if Hermione was standing right before the group of masked Death Eaters present in the glass. The group contained about 5 people, with 2 house elves traveling along. The image flickered and died as the viewpoint changed away from the group.

"They seem to be searching for something," Dumbledore commented, turning to meet their eyes, "but we have no idea what. I want the two of your to work together to find out. You both are talented magicians, and no one else is available for a mission with these skill requirements. Can I count on you to help?"

"I have classes," Snape said curtly, seeming about as interested in the idea as Hermione. It was obvious to both of them that this was a boring baby sitter job, and neither wanted to leave the castle. "I have exams, sir." Hermione stated calmly. The Headmaster narrowed his eyes. "You will both do this," he said sternly. "Severus someone else will cover your classes Ms. Granger you do not even need to study your teachers have assured me you have already earned enough credit to pass this year." Hermione opened her mouth but Dumbledore cut her off before she even had a chance to speak. "And no, you do not need to study for next year either!" One of the portraits made a choking sound that sounded suspiciously like a laugh, earning him a death glare from Hermione. "Fine. When do we leave?" She asked, resigned. Dumbledore smiled. "Tomorrow."

After she and Snape left the office, he addressed her shortly. "We will meet at 6 am tomorrow in front of Hagrid's hut. Kindly avoid packing anything superfluous." He then swept away, not even waiting for her affirmative. _Great communication skills_, Hermione thought angrily. He was treating her like a child he had to drag along as a burden. She was 17 years old, legally of age in the wizarding world. But Snape did not know that, very few people did. Her use of the time turner in her third year had added an extra year to her age even though she was still a sixth year at school. No wonder Dumbledore had picked her to do this mission. Between her and her friends she was more advanced both in magic and in age. _Harry and Ron won't be happy with me_, she thought, as she made her way back to Gryffindor tower. _We had agreed to do anything of this sort together_.

There was no use going back to Transfiguration, the lesson had already ended, so Hermione made her way back to her dormitory. She needed to pack a few things before going to dinner and dealing with the boys and her noisy roommates. She put her long brown curls up into a ponytail and then set about clearing her bed of books, which was no easy feat. Piles of books sat on her bed, containing subjects that ranged from _Advanced Potions_ to _The Role of Runes throughout the Ages. _After she had sorted all the books into neat piles, she selected a few that she had nicked from the restricted section dealing with dark magic.

_Necromancy, Remedies against the Dark Arts_, and _Understanding Dark Magic_ were among the titles she selected to take with her. She picked her favorite black backpack from amongst her belongings and set about performing an undetectable extension charm, which took her about an hour to figure out. But after a few tries she got the desired result: The backpack now had the volume capacity of a large house. She slid in the books, then settled on a few plain black leggings, two pairs of jeans, a few warm sweaters and some tank tops to wear underneath. She then tossed in her sleeping bag, a spare pair of boots, and toiletries. She winced at the thought of spending the next few weeks in close proximity to the most rigid and dank man of the entire castle. There would be little conversation and he probably would ignore her entirely. _In that case…._

She collected several muggle fiction books to read, as well as several on philosophy and mathematics. _Don't want to get bored if we spend days waiting for something_, she mused, and with that train of thought packed money and her ipod. Then she collected some last minute items she thought she might need. Binoculars, tampons, a photo of her parents, cookies, tea, several caps and hats, and a spare coat. After adding these miscellaneous items, she set the backpack on her bed, and, still in her school uniform, went to dinner to meet the boys and her other friends to tell them about the impending mission.

Harry, Ron and Ginny were already sitting at the Gryffindor table when Hermione showed up. "Hey were did you disappear to during Transfiguration?" Ron exclaimed loudly and Hermione sighed inwardly. Ron had never been good at being discrete about the things he didn't know about. "I was called in by the Headmaster," she whispered as she slid into the seat between Harry and Ron, directly across from Ginny. She quickly explained all about her mission to her friends, very quietly so no one would overhear.

"Why would there be a group of Death Eaters wandering around the English countryside?" Harry muttered, a thoughtful look on his pale face. Hermione again noted how tired her friend looked, these 'missions' he had been going on with Dumbledore seemed to do nothing to make him sleep better. Ron had told her how often Harry woke up from nightmares and how little he slept these days. "I don't know Harry," she answered, "Dumbledore mentioned they seemed to be searching for something, but we haven't got a clue what. I think the only reason he picked me for this mission was that my grades are good enough to miss a lot of school looking into it." Ron then asked the question she had been asking herself as well. "But why are you paired with the greasy git? You two have never been the best of friends and doesn't he have classes to teach?" Harry nodded and added, "It doesn't make sense – besides, Snape could be working for Voldemort and you could be in danger by being near all of them…" He trailed off, obviously convinced that this was the case but knowing Hermione's opinion on the matter well enough not to say any more. Hermione knew her friends all thought Snape was working for You know who, but she, as ever, remained convinced that if Dumbledore trusted him, she could trust him.

After Harry and Ron had agreed to take notes for her in her classes, she contacted her other teachers to tell them she would be gone for a while. She received replies that all indicated Dumbledore had already informed them of the situation. She slid into bed, hoping that the mission wouldn't take long and she would be back soon.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione woke with a start at 5:30 am. She had charmed her knitting needles to give her a poke around 5:45, but now that was not even necessary. As expected, there was little delight at the prospect of spending the next few days with Snape, and Hermione resolved to stay in bed forever. She pulled her covers over her head and listened to the soothing sound of her own breathing in the cocoon like atmosphere this created, up until the moment her knitting needles began to poke at her. With a muffled groan she got up, brushed her teeth, pulled on black leggings and a blue sweater, and stuffed her feet into a pair of hiking boots. _So sexy right now_, she thought glumly, not even bothering with her hair, just tying it up into a ponytail. _I doubt there will be many dating opportunities on this trip anyway._ She swung her backpack over her shoulder, wincing as the bag echoed like a cargo hold as several items rolled around. She glanced around at her sleeping classmates. _Not a care in the world_, she thought angrily, and stomped out of her dormitory to meet Snape at Hagrid's.

Her breath clouded in the frigid morning air, letting her know that winter was not quite over yet. It was late February, and things would not start warming up for a while. She walked quickly, grateful for her thick sweater and coat to keep her warm. Down the stairs, and out the door she went, walking down the familiar path that led to Hagrids. His hut was dark, he was clearly still asleep, but a tall broad and dark figure stood next to the trees of the Forbidden Forest. _Ah, my lovely companion. Three galleons he will not say good morning. _She walked towards him, resolving to take advantage of all opportunities to annoy him. "Good Morning, sir!" She chirped brightly at him, and he narrowed his eyes at her dangerously. Instead of answering her he thrust a roll of parchment at her.

"This is what the spies reported about the group of dark wizards. We will be using it to decide where to start. According to the coordinates, they were last seen around the Peak District National Park, close to Chesterfield. Therefore I suggest we apparate there." He turned swiftly, still intimidating even without his billowing black robes, and strode off towards Hogwarts apparation point, which lay half a kilometer away from the castle, on the road to Hogsmeade. Hermione followed him, fuming. He hadn't even really asked for her opinion, just made the decision by himself. _Dumbledore wanted us to be partners._ While walking she scanned the parchment he had given her, confirming Snape's idea about where to start. _Dammit he's right about starting in Chesterfield_.

They reached the apparation point without exchanging a single word. Hermione was feeling even more discouraged. Snape obviously thought her beneath his notice and didn't seem at all interested in her input. He offered her his arm, which she ignored, turning on the spot and disappearing with a pop. She missed the brief twitch of Snape's lips before he followed suit. They appeared almost simultaneously on the exact location described by the spies in the notes given to them by Dumbledore. Hermione shivered; the temperature had dropped by two degrees and frost still covered the bare earth beneath her boots. It was silent all around except for her and Snape's low breaths, the trees stood around them ominously, tall and dark firs. _Kind of like my partner, tall and dark_. Banishing all thoughts of this nature, Hermione took another look at the scroll, beating Snape to it. "We need to go a little bit towards the east to reach Chesterfield. I figure once we get there we can have breakfast, then question the magical residents to see if they have some clues. On the way there we can look for any trail. Any group of dark magicians leaves dark magic traces in the soil and the plants." She said, turning to look at Snape. His thin mouth was pulled into a smirk. "Of course little miss know it all had to steal some books from the restricted section for this one. Let's go then. Keep your eyes open, I will be performing a spell to detect dark magic in the area while you look for visual clues. " The darkness of the woods made him appear even taller, almost looming over her. He blended into the background here, all in black. His dark hair was the only thing shining in the moonlight. _Merlin, no more analyzing, his hairstyle is none of your damm business_, she told herself angrily, hastily turning away to begin her visual sweep of the area.

"_Vita __Nocte_," he murmured, flicking his wand. He repeated the spell several times, pointing it at bushes, trees, and the earth in turn. Hermione moved in front of him, stopping every now and then to examine the ground. She found all manner of footprints, human, dog, various wildlife, but nothing that pointed towards wizards. After a few minutes of silence, she decided that since they were working together, she might as well try to find out more about Snape. "Who will be covering your classes, sir?" She asked. "A Defense teacher from a school in Ireland," he answered curtly. 'Dumbledore knows him personally and said he owed him a favour." "I see," Hermione said, and they both lapsed back into silence, doing their tasks.

"Ms. Granger are you being thorough enough? I think we ought to have found something by now, we know they were here." He sounded annoyed. "Like Death Eaters don't know how to cover their tracks," she shot back, "its not going to be that easy." He frowned, obviously surprised she had retaliated, even though his stoic face gave nothing away. "Careful, girl, I am still your professor and you will address me with respect," he growled, and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Don't blame me when things go wrong then," she said. He glared and she added "sir". He didn't speak another word to her for quite some time.

They entered a clearing, and branched out along the edges, trying to find clues. She was beginning to think they had interpreted the coordinates wrong when Snape suddenly stopped and hissed "Come here Ms Granger." She walked over to him. He was standing inf ront of a patch of bare earth over stone, where no plants grew. A black pulsating orb was hanging over it. They had found it. Dark Magic.


	3. Chapter 3

The black orb hung before them. "Is there any way we can follow this?" Hermione asked Snape. "No, the spell I know only shows where dark magic left traces, not where the caster has moved to," he replied, looking annoyed at her question. _He still thinks I am useless_. Hermione took off her backpack, opened it, and under his curious gaze stuck in her entire arm up to her shoulder. "Come on," she murmured, rummaging around until she found the copy of _Necromancy_ she had…borrowed. " Lumos," she said, and with the wandlight she looked up the section in which the author had attempted to track a dark wizard using only the dark magic residue.

_On the fourth day of my pursuit, the spell ' vita nocte' revealed a trace of dark magic. But I was unable to follow this magical residue further as I had no spell to lock on and track the individual magical 'fingerprint' of the necromancer. I therefore had to rely on tracks, of which there were very little. Once I get home I will further investigate a spell of this nature. Perhaps I can start with __secutus sum, to follow, or something of that sort. All spells are rooted in the language used to cast them. _

Hermione grimaced. She wished the author, William of Castleby, a famous hunter of dark wizards in the 16th century, would have lived long enough to investigate this second spell. As it was, he died on his last hunt, and when they recovered his body they found his journal, which became a valuable source for hunters of dark magic. "Ms. Granger, we do not have all day in which you can read through several of your fiction novels," Snape growled, clearly impatient to be on the way to Chesterfield. His arms were crossed, and he appeared tense and wound. Hermione moved her gaze to the horizon – the sun was rising in a brilliant orange glow, dispelling the dismal mood that hung over the park.

She ignored his comment about her reading habits. Like he had any idea about the kind of books she read. Of course, he didn't know this was a copy of _Necromancy_, on of the most illegal books for a student of Hogwarts to have. To fool the gaze of curious onlookers Hermione had magically removed the old, cracked cover and replaced it with the cover from one of the breathy romance novels Lavender had gifted her with. The cover showed a large, overly muscular man, holding a dramatically fainting woman in his arms_. Shit._ _Not good for his opinion of my intellect. _Even worse, the title, written in large flamboyant gold lettering read: _Giving in to Desire. _Hermione cleared her throat, realizing he was staring at her, one eyebrow raised. If she didn't know better she would assume he was amused at her choice of literature. _Severus Snape is never amused_, she thought darkly.

To distract him from her obvious embarrassment, she asked, " Sir, do you know the latin word for eternal darkness? I think if we make the right spell we will be able to follow this trail." She expected him to laugh and tell her she was a 'dunderhead with a lack of intellect' but instead he looked thoughtful, the first emotion she had seen on his usually stoic face. "Noctem aeternem," he answered at last. She began to pace as thoughts flooded her brain. "But we can't use that in the spell. If I combine 'follow' with 'eternal darkness' the dark magic will end up inside of us, because essentially I will be commanding the wand to take me into eternal darkness. I need something more specific." She stopped. Turned. Dover for her backpack again, this time sticking her entire head and right arm, including the shoulder, into the small black backpack. Snape heard her rummaging around and muttering to herself, and it sounded like she was in some kind of storage hall, the way it clanked and echoed. She emerged with a fat tome, which she settled onto the ground with a bang. _A 16__th__ century original latin dictionary?_ Snape found himself staring and at the same time being impressed by her resourcefulness, something that, as a rule, did not happen. Usually he found of student of her age lacking every sort of creativity and intelligence_. I didn't know she could cast an undetectable extension charm…..that's NEWT graduate level and she is a 6__th__ year. _Hermione found she was having trouble concentrating under his fierce gaze. "Lets eat some breakfast, sir," she suggested, and her stomach rumbled to back up her words. "Lets go into town then." he said calmly. Hermione replaced the books into the backpack, and they set out to the east.

Chesterfield was a town with a population of about 70, 000, with a university and several churches. It was still very early, so not too many people were about. They settled into a muggle breakfast diner and, after confirming they had enough muggle money between them, they ordered what they wanted from a tired looking waitress. She was surprised at his taking his coffee with sugar and milk. She had half expected plain black coffee. Black seemed to be a thing with him at any rate. "So what do you propose we do next then, Ms. Granger, " he asked her, leaning back with his eyebrows raised. _You have a chance to impress me, peasant._ Hermione smiled to herself at this thought. She began to explain her the idea that had taken root when she read that passage in Necromancy.

An hour and two plates of scrambled egg and sausages later, Hermione and Severus had formed a plan. As she had explained her theory, Severus had found that he had developed a grudging respect of her intellect. He felt slightly bad about calling her a know it all in his classes – she had developed a new spell that would save them weeks of searching. He winced when he realized he had called her that just a few hours ago. He recalled the way her large brown eyes had widened in hurt for just a few second before she had shaken it off. _Wait, what? Since when do I catalogue my students eye colour…._ Severus Snape felt an odd feeling growing inside him. He decided he needed a task; this was obviously just his lack of sleep influencing him. He waved the waitress over, paid, and then growled " Let's get back to work Ms. Granger." She wondered at his sudden shift in mood as he had seemed quite impressed with her ideas, but accepted it. A few minutes later they were heading back towards where they had found the dark magic to put their plan into motion.


	4. Chapter 4

It was the second week of their pursuit. They had left the park and started moving south, following the trail of dark magic that Hermione had detected with the use of the spell _persequor__ noctae aeternam_. The trail had appeared, a dark ribbon in the earth that burned a fiery red each time Hermione cast the spell to see if they were still going in the right direction. Each day that brought them nothing, they grew more frustrated. They had been following the trail exactly, yet no sign of either the Death Eaters or of large gatherings of potential recruits had been found. Hermione yearned for a hot shower and her soft bed in the girl's dormitory. The bunk beds in the tent from the Triwizard tournament were lacking in comfort, even though her grinchy companion did not seem to mind. Each night he grew more quiet, even when Hermione peppered him with questions, just because she wanted to find out more about him. She was miserable, because she felt that even though he had seemed impressed with her intellect and deemed her worthy of his notice, he still wouldn't hold a conversation with her. It was like sitting down by the campfire every night with a marble statue. As the days went on, Hermione could feel herself getting increasingly pissed off. What gave him the right to ignore her like that? She was tired of always having to reach out to him.

One night she couldn't stand the silence longer. "Sir, am I a boring partner to have a conversation with? Because frankly, I've had enough of always asking you questions and never getting an answer." He ignored her question for a while, a frown marring his pale face. " Do not presume that you know me, Granger, we are partners on this mission and nothing more. Why should we talk to each other at all if not about work?" Severus carefully kept his face passive thereafter, it would not do for the Granger girl to notice that he desperately wanted to talk to her. He had been ignoring her all week for a reason.

It had started almost as soon as Hermione cast a spell that researchers had been trying to pin down for years, ever since _Necromancy_ was published as a book. She had laughed with exhilaration when the fiery red band had appeared beneath their feet, pointing their way, having no idea at what she had just achieved. Her eyes had been so…. luminous. Severus could not find a better word for the way her eyes had glowed and her hair had shone. The only word to describe her at that moment was _beautiful_. Later, when the girl's soft breaths filled the room and he was still lying awake in his cot, he thought about it more. _I have finally cracked under the strain of spying on the Dark Lord. She is my STUDENT. _He groaned and rolled over. Sleep eluded him that night, just as it had since he had started sharing space with one Hermione Granger, who, by and by, seemed to have no trouble at all falling asleep.

The next morning they finally spotted signs of the presence of the Dark Wizard group they were pursuing. In a town they passed through, a muggle house was blasted to bits in a yet unexplained explosion. Hermione took the lead in questioning several witnesses, an old muggle lady with a struggling cat in her arms, and a tall lanky youth of about 15 years. "It just happened, while I was retrieving Shelly here – my neighbors house just blew up! BOOM." The old lady garbled, while hugging her cat so tightly the animal turned purple. The youth had more to offer. "A group of people went into the house, all dressed weirdly, like for a costume party." The young man explained, "Shortly after there was a huge explosion. But not as much a explosion as the house being torn apart from the inside out, you know? I wonder what kind of chemical reaction could do that – do you know? Are you with the police? Have they found out what it was?" Hermione cut his stream of questions short with a quick gesture. "Did they find the bodies of the…oddly dressed people?" She asked. The young man shook his head. "No ma'am, they didn't even find the owner of the house yet. They assumed he burned to death but no remains have been found. Do you think he, like, vaporized?" Hermione, looking slightly irritated, thanked him for his help, pressing a 5-pound note into his hand for his information. He looked delighted and strode off, whistling.

She rejoined Severus, who was leaning against a low stone wall surrounding the Church of the town and who had been listening to her interviews with some amusement. "How many cats do you think that lady owns?" He asked her with a straight face. Hermione looked surprised at his talking about something not "work related" but then her face relaxed and she smiled at him, making his cravat suddenly feel far to tight for his dry throat. "About 20 I presume," she said, laughing.

"Alright, so we know that the explosion in the muggle house was definitely caused by magic, otherwise the forensics would have found evidence of arson." Severus nodded his agreement. "Do you think we can get inside the house to take a look around?" He looked at the yellow police tape pointedly. "We will probably need to wait until night. I highly doubt they will appreciate us messing with a crime scene." He replied. She was surprised that he was familiar with the workings of the muggle police, and wondered how he had grown up. Had he been raised in a muggle environment, just like her? She resolved to ask him about it later. She took her backpack off and rummaged around to find her wallet. "Sir, I think we have just enough muggle money left to go buy dinner while we wait for night to fall since its only 6 pm. " _She said dinner! She wants a date with me!_ He screamed inwardly. But all he said to her, with a carefully schooled face was: "That would be agreeable."

Hermione ordered fries and a shake, Severus a black tea and roast duck. They ate while darkness fell outside, and the silence between them seemed to grow ever more ominous, especially against the chatter of the other guests in the background. _Severus, you sod, make her think you can actually hold a conversation! _"So Ms. Granger, what are your plans after Hogwarts?" She looked delighted at him asking a question. "I'm not sure sir, I always wanted to study International Relations at a muggle university before I entered Hogwarts. I'm not sure a life only in the wizarding world would agree with me, to be honest. "

"Ms. Granger, I daresay you are the brightest witch of your age. I'm sure you would find the occupation that you desire without much trouble. You invented a spell. You should join the Spell Testing and Development Department in the Ministry. With your talent they would give you a management position in no time." He said it all in a cool tone, but Hermione detected a hint of praise behind his words.

"Do you really think that highly of me sir?" She said so quietly it was almost a whisper, staring at the table with red cheeks.

"I do," He said softly. She raised her head to meet his dark eyes, and felt a chill run down her back. They stared at each other, wide brown eyes meeting dark obsidian, for what felt like an eternity.

_Boom_. The earth shook slightly in tandem with the muffled sound of an oil tanker exploding. Hermione and Severus jumped; part of the ceiling dislodged and crashed down onto the bar. The magnetism between their eyes was broken and they returned to the real world. Hermione chose that moment to let loose a stream of curses that made Severus look at her in absolute shock as she realized the Death Eaters must still be here, had been all along while they had been eating. _Does Ms. Granger know what that word actually means? _Severus mused, before realizing she was already out the door. He hurried after her.


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione raced down the street towards the destroyed building. Sirens were already wailing in the distance. It was clear to her that the Death Eaters were still in this town, although she had no idea why they were blowing up seemingly random houses. She knew they had most likely used multiple reductor curses, which, when they bounced off each other, created a force strong enough to blast apart a house. _Why in this dingy little town? What are they trying to achieve?_ By the time she reached the house, the house was burning but already torn apart. The street was littered with furniture that had shot out of the house like bullets out of a gun. Several muggles had been hit and were lying in the streets, dazed. But there seemed to be no serious injuries as far as Hermione could see.

She quickly cast a temporary muggle repelling charm, and then entered the ruined building. The flames were already dying down, making it possible for her to see an old man, curled up in a corner with his hands held protectively over his head. She picked her way over the debris to talk to him. "Sir, sir are you alright?" She asked him, taking him by the shoulder. He looked up, and upon seeing the wand in her hand, cowered against the floor. "I've already told you everything!" He sobbed, "I don't know anything else!" _He thinks I am a Death Eater_, Hermione thought. _And he knows about the magical world, otherwise he would not have recognized me as a witch. _

"Sir, I'm not with them. I'm a witch fighting in the anti Voldemort movement!" He looked up then. Hope lit his eyes. "You can protect me! They were here, they wanted information! They'll be back when they realize I'm not dead!" He implored. Hermione nodded, "My partner and I will make sure you are safe. Now come along, before the muggles get here." She extended a hand to pull him up. He stood shakily, and they exited the building. Hermione disillusioned them both, and they moved away from the house as police cars and fire trucks screeched to a stop in front of the smoking building.

Severus arrived at the scene just a few moments after Hermione. He saw her go in, and set about helping the muggles that had been hit by the debris. He had realized that he could count on her, and that it would not be necessary for him to do all the work. It was new for him, putting his trust in someone else like that, especially when it came to a mission in the fight against Voldemort. When she came out, he saw her disillusion herself and someone else. _It seems we finally have a witness who can help us out. _

Later they met up two streets down, where they shouts and sirens could no longer be heard as loudly. They sat the man down on a bench and cleaned him up with spells. Hermione gave him a bottle of water, which he drank gratefully. "I suppose you are wondering why Dark Wizards would take an interest in me?" Hermione and Severus nodded. "I'm a squib. Apparently Voldemort had an interest in recruiting people like me. The other house that burned down was the house of my sister. She didn't make it out alive." His voice broke, and Hermione placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not really sure why the Death Eaters wanted me to join their ranks, the only thing they would disclose was that their lord had a job for people like me. He continued on that even though I was the lowest of the lowest scum, lower even than a muggle, they were prepared to offer me a deal. I had never been so insulted in my life. I grew angry, and told them to get out. They proceeded to blow up my house and dissaparated afterwards. That is all I know."Hermione and Severus looked at each other, each thinking the same thing. _Squibs? What the hell is this?_

They contacted Dumbledore by patronus that evening, back outside the town in their tent. The man, whose had introduced himself as Gregory Appleby, was snoring on one of the lower bunks. Half an hour later, Dumbledore apparated into the clearing outside with a loud crack, and they opened the wards to let him in. "What news?" He asked impatiently with a glance at the snoring guest. Hermione told him everything they had discovered while Severus glared at the headmaster, still miffed that he had disclosed them on this mission together. _Its you fault I'm attracted to my student, all your fault! _

Dumbledore looked thoughtful. "It seems Tom has grown desperate for hostages. I cannot imagine that he would want to 'recruit' squibs as actual followers. He sees them as the lowest people within the wizarding society. His pureblood mania would have never allowed such recruitment. No, he needed them for some sort of dark purpose…." He trailed off. "Ms. Granger, Severus, you will need to find out what they are planning to do with these squibs!" He pressed urgently, his long nose suddenly inches from Hermione's face. "Er….but sir, that will take a long time, what about my studies? We've already been tracking them for _two weeks_ sir! And this man needs the protection of Hogwarts, the Death Eaters cannot know he is still alive." She said, somewhat irritated. Although, the idea of spending more time with Severus was….alluring. _No we are not going there_, she told herself firmly.

"Please Ms. Granger, " Dumbledore implored. "You are the most resourceful and brightest witch of your age. If anyone can find out what these Death Eaters were ordered to recruit squibs for, you are." She sighed. "Alright sir." The fight had gone out of her voice as she accepted the mission. Dumbledore turned to Severus. "What of you? Professor Mavis has agreed to cover your classes for the rest of the year. I daresay the only thing you will find disagreeable upon your return is that not as many students failed as you would have preferred." Severus scowled. "You misunderstand me, I do everything in my power to ensure a student passes my classes." He said smoothly, and heard Hermione snort behind him. He ignored her. Dumbledores eyes twinkled.

"I must go now. I will take along Mr. Appelby here, he will be safe at Hogwarts. Good luck to you two. " He went to the bunk, and slung the snoring man over his shoulder with ease. _He seems spry for this old age_, Hermione thought with surprise. He walked outside the wards and disapparated. Hermione and Severus stood at the entrance of the tent and looked at the spot where he had vanished. She suddenly realized she had agreed to spend Merlin knows how much longer with the man she was finding increasingly endearing. _Shit_.

"Why did you agree to elongate this mission, Ms. Granger?" Snape asked her softly, still looking ahead and not at her. She looked at his profile for a while, before saying "This _is_ a war sir. Besides, your not such bad company when you actually speak like a human being instead of imitating a statue. " She smiled at him, seeing his usually stoic face betray his amusement through the quirk of his mouth. "Is that so." He said. "And you should call me Hermione. We might as well drop the formalities since, on this mission, we are no longer teacher and student." He looked at her then. "Very well, Hermione." His eyes, usually so dark and bottomless, had a touch of softness in them. Then they abrupty hardened and he turned away. "But you will of course continue to call me Professor, Hermione. I am still your superior, in many ways." He said loftily. Hermione's eyes narrowed.

_Merlin help me, I might kill him after all. _


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione's lungs felt like they were about to explode. She had been pursuing one of the house elves accompanying the Dark Wizards. For three hours. The little blighter had sensed someone following him and had disapparated multiple times, and Hermione had barely been able to keep track of him. She had only managed it by sprinting out from her hiding place and diving into the vortex that was left behind for two to three seconds after a disapparation. She had lost track of all the places they had passed, but now they were somewhere in the outskirts of London. And the elf now seemed convinced he was no longer being followed. _Finally. I don't think I'm in top shape at the moment_. She lay on her belly in some bushes, gasping for air, observing the elf waddle into a small, run down building between the trees.

She pulled out her wand, and cast her patronus. "Go..ha…ha…tell Severus that I finally pinned down their…ha…ha…hideout. Kindly…ha…ha…ask him..ha…to get his scholarly ass over here now." The silver otter swirled around her once, then bounded away in a trail of silver light. After checking to make sure the elf was still inside the run down building, she rolled over onto her back, getting her breath back and staring into the night sky. Severus and her had been trailing the Death Eaters for another two weeks before they were able to get another sighting. The group had been continuously visiting squib homes. Since squibs weren't registered with the ministry, Severus and her had had no way of anticipating the attacks. Many squibs had refused the offer put forward by the Death Eater, and had met the fate that Appleby had been spared.

Hermione had been increasingly frustrated as the Death Eaters eluded them again and again. All they were then able to do was obliviate the muggles and sift through various forms of wreckage in the search of clues. But that was no the only reason she was close to screaming in frustration. The tension between her and a certain dark haired professor had risen to a breaking point. She often caught herself fantasizing about him, what it would be like to kiss him, or touch him, and each time it became harder to prevent herself from telling him she was attracted to him. _There is not point in telling him how I feel_, she thought, _he is not interested anyway. I'm not really very pretty with my hair and teeth. And he's older, so he's probably had many beautiful women… _

Her musings were cut short by the appearance of the object of her fantasies, who had been waiting for her notice while interviewing some witnesses of the latest squib killing. He gracefully kneeled down beside her. "Detention, Ms. Granger. You do not address your better like that." She laughed, having expected this. "Sir, the elf I've been trailing has led me to what seems to be a hideout. She rolled onto her belly and pointed to the small wrecked house, more a shack than anything, with light now emanating from its solitary window. He found his gaze drawn from the house to the back of Hermione's head. There were leaves trapped in her bushy hair. Without thinking he reached out and snagged several, making her start in surprise. "Sir?" she asked, craning her head around to look at him.

_Bloody hell, Severus, control yourself_. He cleared his throat. "I was simply ridding your impossible hair of a tangle hazard," He growled, "If anymore volume is added to that mane of yours I fear the Death Eaters will not recognize you as human." She frowned. "Very funny," she said, and immediately retaliated. "At least my hair is clean, unlike yours." He looked at her dangerously. "Sir," she added in a mocking tone.

They're banter was cut short by the emergence of a cloaked man from the shack. The figure pulled off his mask. "Avery," breathed Severus, close to her ear. They huddled together beneath the protective fonds of the bush. A second figure emerged, without the mask. "Nott," Severus whispered. "All supposed to be in Askaban." They stooped to talk to a third, much smaller figure. It was the elf Hermione had been chasing. The elf pointed in their direction and squeaked something in an animated tone. Avery and Nott began to approach the bush they were hiding in. "Shit," Hermione hissed, "The elf led me here on purpose, he knew he was being followed. The rest of the group must be somewhere else!" Before she had finished her sentence fully, the red jet of a stunner scorched the ground only centimeters away from her nose. "Time to go," she said.

Severus grabbed her hand, and they dissaparated, leaving the Death Eaters to uncover only bare ground where they had been laying. They landed in a heap in a clearing further back, where they had planned to camp for the night. It was about 3 km from the spot they had discovered the Death Eaters. Severus quickly got up and warded their campsite. Then he turned to his companion. "Congratulations, Ms. Granger, you have managed to make our job even harder than it originally was! Now they will be expecting someone to follow them and will send word back to the Dark Lord that they are being pursued! You foolish girl, you've just made this a lot more complicated." He stormed, towering over her. She scrambled up from her sitting position and yelled right back at him. "I honestly thought that elf didn't notice I was still there! I followed that dammned creature for 3 hours! 3 hours of running and jumping into worm holes, I am so sorry that I just did more than you have been achieving the last two weeks! We had to get somewhere with this mission!" She was breathing heavily by the time she finished. She had given her best effort today and now he was accusing her of sabotaging the mission?

To her surprise he just ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "My apologies, Ms. Granger. I am sure you are even more pleased than I am to extend this mission further." He uncovered her backpack from its hiding place under several logs, and proceeded to set up the tent. She hesitated for a second, then walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, making him freeze. "I'm sorry as well. I should have checked more carefully. We will try further tomorrow." She said to him, and then went to make a fire.

Later, after dinner, it began to rain.

Hermione heard the pitter patter of the rain drops as they hit the roof of the tent. She lay awake and could not sleep. Thoughts of the day turned around and around in her head. Eventually she decided to sit outside for a bit, and watch the sky. It was getting warmer now, spring was on its way. She leaned against a tree trunk in her pjs and a sweater, cast a warming charm for protection against the chilly breeze, and just sat and thought. About their mission, but mostly about Severus. He was opening up more and more, he had not insulted her earnestly in a long time, and she found herself liking him more and more.

Severus could not sleep either. He heard Hermione leave, and knew he should stay inside and leave her be. But he wanted to know why she wasn't asleep. He put on a pait of black muggle jeans and slid a sweater over his blue t shirt. He went outside, and saw her leaning against a broad tree trunk, looking at the stars. He sat beside her. "Can't sleep either?" She asked softly, still looking at the sky. "My thoughts can't seem to quiet down," he replied.

She looked at him. "Do you think we will ever catch them? We have been trailing them for a month. They seem to be after the entire squib population of Britain. I can't make sense of it at all." He could hear how frustrated she was. He hesitantly put his arm around her. He wanted her to be her usual perky and positive self. She looked at him in surprise for a moment, then leaned into him and slid and arm over his stomach. She now nestled into his side, and he could smell the fragrance of her hair. "This is sure a compromising position for a student and a teacher to be in," she murmured teasingly. He ignored her comment. He didn't want to think about the fact that this was wrong. Not when it felt so right.

She fell asleep that night to the smell of potion ingredients and the steady rise and fall of Snape's chest.

_I am probably going to regret this later_, she told herself, before her eyes closed.


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione woke up in her bunk bed. Disoriented, she lurched up to see the morning sun shining into the tent. _Huh….I could have sworn I didn't fall asleep here_. Attributing this thought to her stress levels for the past few weeks, she rose and padded over to the tent entrance on bare feet, noting that Snape seemed to have already gotten up. The morning air was warm, the birds were singing, and spring seemed to have truly made its debut. She stepped outside happily, still clad in an old t-shirt, boxershorts, and with her hair in a wild tangle. But she had long ago given up caring about her appearance, so she simply enjoyed the lovely morning. There was a fire crackling merrily a little ways from the tent, with a dark shape sitting next to it. _Of course he manages to look sinister even when the sun is shining._ She thought with amusement, and walked over to him. She sniffed. "Sir….are you cooking breakfast?" Severus glared at her. "Well if I had waited for you to make breakfast I would have been out here all day." He said, then wordlessly handed her a plate of…_omygod eggs and bacon_.

She was happy – this was the first time he had made breakfast for her during their entire mission. _He's trying to make me feel better about my blunder with the elf yesterday, how nice!_ She thought dreamily. Severus on the other hand was praying that the breakfast would prevent her from remembering she had fallen asleep almost literally on top of him_. Please don't let her remember please please please…._"Say, Severus, did I go outside at some point tonight? I had leaves in my hair when I woke up." _Shit._ "I do not make it my habit to observe your nightly activities, Granger," he said smoothly, not looking at her. Her empty plate clattered to the floor. "I remember!"_ Oh dear god, please no. _"Professor I believe last night we….cuddled." She said awkwardly. But she had learned in her relationship with Viktor to be honest and direct when it came to these things. That was why, to this day, she was able to be more open about her feelings. The only reason she had not told Severus about her feelings was because he was her teacher and because she thought he would have no interest in someone so young.

He stiffened. "I assure you the fault lay with me. Forgive me for my inappropriate behaviour, Ms. Granger." He still didn't look at her. He felt awful; he had taken advantage of an innocent young girl last night by giving in to his feelings of wanting to hold her. He felt weak, and that feeling was not something he liked. Hermione crouched next to him and put her arm around his shoulders. "You know, I rather enjoyed it. Perhaps we both needed it." He remained quiet. She sighed. "Can you at least be honest and talk to me?"

"I feel like I am pushing my feelings onto you, and that you, a naïve child, will not be able to say no." He said quietly. Her heart sped up. _Feelings?_

"I may be young, but I have had enough experience to know when I want to say no and when I want to say yes. Sir, with all due respect, I would appreciate if you could let me draw my own conclusions about what is and what isn't appropriate between us." She said calmly.

He frowned.

"I am your teacher!"

"I like playing dirty."

"Ms. Granger!"

"Call me Hermione"

"I refuse"

"Why?"

"You are a child!"

"You're and old man then."

"Watch your tounge with me, Ms. Granger."

"I said call me Hermione. You can whisper it in my ear when we-"

"MS. GRANGER!"

She grinned cheekily at him, but her eyes shone with warmth. "I like you, Severus," She said, her wide brown eyes too close for comfort. "May I derive from your inner conflictions that you like me to?" He opened his mouth to answer her, when the silvery form of a patronus approached them.

It was Dumbledore's, and not a shape either of them recognized. It cut their conversation short when it opened what looked like a mouth and said "Hermione, Severus, there has been a sighting west of here. Please hurry and go there, you may catch them yet. They have changed course – they are no longer heading in the direction of London." Hermione looked at Severus. "They're trying to get rid of us trailing them by using a new route. We need to go now!" She ran back to the tent, her hair flying.

Five minutes later they were back at the shack they had been at yesterday. Hermione cast the spell she had invented – a dark ribbon appeared to mark the trail of the dark magic within the wizards. They began to follow it, occasionally dissaparating to reappear a few kilometers further away. They were able to cover a decent amount of ground until the trail led them to a small village. "Where are we exactly?" Inquired Hermione. Severus looked around for a sign. Welcome to Little Chalfont it said just before the entrance to the village. "We seem to have come to a bustling center of commerce and political activity." He said in serious, teacher like tone. Hermione saw the sign, and raised an eyebrow. "It seems so sir," she said with a smile. "It seems very quiet though – shall we follow the trail further?" He nodded.

They walked into the town. It was abnormally quiet for a Thursday morning. The shops and cafes all seemed deserted. "Where are the muggles?" asked Hermione quietly, but Severus was just as mystified. They continued on through the eerie streets. Severus was about to make a comment when Hermione held up a slim finger.

She pointed to the street junction they were approaching. The wind carried the low sound of voices from that direction. Hermione looked around for a place to hide, for it seemd the people they had been pursuing were heading in their direction. She saw a medium height hedge, towards which she pulled her surprised partner. Grasping his black jacket by the shoulder, she forced him into a crouch next to her. They were now shielded from the streets, and Severus could not help being distracted by his partners proximity. Focus, he told himself, and listened to the approaching conversation. Footfalls landed heavily, punctuated by sinister laughter.

"- Dark Lord said that he wanted to send the message tonight. Good thing we now have a willing…subject for him to use as leverage."

Hermione exchanged a worried glance with Severus. They had come too late, Voldemort already had a squib in his grasp.

"We will need to apparate back in haste. Where are Avery and Nott with that dammed elf?"

Scratch that. The squib was still nearby, not yet with the darkest of all wizards. Since Avery and Nott were still not back yet this meant these 3 Death Eaters had no idea Hermione and Severus had been following them. Hermione looked at Severus in question. He nodded and withdrew his wand from his pockets. Hermione eased off her backpack and also drew her wand.

They stepped out, wands aloft, facing the open street before them.

A few seconds of silence, after which they were bombarded with a series of nasty hexes.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for not updating sooner! Classes started again last week ;) **

**Snape is still working for Voldemort, but my idea was that these Death Eaters had never seen what Snape looked like, so they didn't recognize him as a traitor. **

Hermione threw up a strong _protego_ across herself, and out of the corner she saw Severus do the same before she was distracted by the strong dark curses that were absorbed by the protego shield. However, now she was stuck in the defense, and could not go on the offense to incapacitate their opponents. "Severus…I will shield us both if you attack them. We need to finish this and can't risk anyone getting away, including the elves!" Snape nodded at her, his mouth a thin line. He waited until he felt the warm energy of her shield in front of him, then darted to the side and towards the Death Eaters. He was upon them from the side before they had even noticed he had left his partner.

One of them just had time to turn towards him with a startled noise before Severus jumped at him. With a single angry slash of his wand, the Death Eater collapsed in an unconscious heap. Before he hit the ground, Severus shot two stunners in quick succession at the unprotected other Death Eaters, followed by a lower body binding spell. Their legs folded like spaghetti and they dropped. Severus brushed some dirt off himself, smug. A part of him hoped she had seen him. The other part of him focused on the situation at hand.

The dust cleared, revealing Hermione as she lowered her shield cautiously, looking around with narrowed, suspicious eyes. She quickly crossed the distance between them, her black leggings and boots almost gray from the dust whirled up by the flying spells. "Sir, we need to secure them and look for the house elf and Avery and Nott." He nodded. "Keep watch while I hide them and put a permanent binding charm on them that they wont be able to break." He levitated the bodies behind an abandoned looking building and cast an invisibility charm on them after he had made sure that they wouldn't be moving for a few hours. He again wondered where all the muggles were. While he was walking back towards his partner he cast a quick _finite incantatem_, suspecting there were wards against muggles and that this town had not seen its occupants for a while. Like he suspected, the silvery glow of many layers of muggle repelling charms as well as a confusion ward were in place that fell when he cast the spell. He reached Hermione, who looked at him questioningly.

"The strength of these muggle repelling charms would have to mean that all occupants moved out in a hurry a while ago. No wonder no one is here. " She nodded. "I checked for dark magic, and its all over the place here. This place has been a hideout for Voldemort's followers for a while now. Not stupid, disguising it as a muggle town…." Hermione mused. Then her face turned serious. "We need to find their hostage. He might be in pain or injured in some way." Severus nodded. They began to scour the small town for a hostage. "Hello!" Hermione called again and again, until they reached an abandoned building that looked like a small storage or warehouse. "Help me….please" called a weak voice from within the building. Hermione rushed ahead, while Severus scoured the area for the missing elf and the two other Death Eaters.

He saw the glimmer of apparation on the edge of the woods. "Hermione, I think they've come back. Make sure the prisoner is safe and then wait for me." She nodded at him, and he quickly disillusioned himself and headed away. Hermione carefully opened the door, her wand held aloft. "I'm here to rescue you," she called out. " Over here," whispered a weak voice, and Hermione, squinting in the dim light, whispered "_Lumos." _Her wandlight revealed a small, curled up ball. It was a young boy, about 12 years old. She narrowed her eyes angrily when she say his pale face and his hands undergoing periodic tremors which wear a clear sign of the Cruciatus curse. "Beasts," she murmured, and with a flick of her wand she divested him of the shackles. "Can you stand up?" she asked the child. "What if they come back? They want to hold me hostage and mutilate me!" The young boy said hysterically, and began to sob. She took him by the hand and helped him up. "We won't let that happen."

They emerged from the small building, Hermione helping him stand up and walk. She scoured the area. There was no one around. The house elf must have been with Avery and Nott when Severus saw them. Hermione turned to peer in the direction he had disappeared in, worrying despite herself. A silver gleam was approaching, which Hermione identified as a patronus. It was a silver snake, winding its way through the air towards her. It curled up neatly in mid air before her. Its mouth opened and Severus' voice emanated. "Hermione, please apparate back to Hogwarts with the prisoner immediately. I have taken care of Avery and Nott, but the damned elf escaped. I need to track him down and then perform memory charms on all of them. Dumbledore needs the prisoner's information. "The silvery snake dissolved after the message had been dissolved.

Hermione knew what she had to do, even though it pained her to leave Severus alone on this. But the mission was more important than her feelings at this point. She grabbed the boy tightly. "Where are we going?" He asked weakly, sagging against her. "Getting you some medical attention," she said to the squib, and apparated away with a pop.

She landed outside the gates of Hogwarts, stumbling slightly under the boys weight. It seemed apparation had been too much, he had passed out. She waved her wand and lifted him up, then sent her patronus to Dumbledore before heading into the grounds. He appeared a minute later. "Ms. Granger, I have notified Madame Pomfrey. Can you levitate him to the infirmary and then come straight to my office? Where is Severus, by the way?"

Hermione told him he was still tracking the elf down, and they headed back towards the castle, the unconscious boy floating ahead of Hermione.

_I hope he's okay_, she thought unhappily.


	9. Chapter 9

Hermione paced in Dumbledore's study. She had just come back from leaving the squib boy in Madame Pomfrey's care. The Medi witch had assured her that the boy would be fine, as the cruciatus damage didn't seem too intense. Now she waited for Dumbledore to finish questioning the boy. He had bid her to wait in his office. She thought with amusement that this was where she and Severus had started their mission._ I really did not like him back then…..and now I want to be with him all the time. _Hermione thought. She knew there was no point in deluding himself. Now that all the Death Eaters were being dealt with, she knew their 3 month mission was ending. Afterwards she would return to his Defense lessons, and they would once again be student and teacher. And if she made any move on him then, he would be fired. She felt sad at the thought of being unable to continue where they had left off during the mission. _He feels something for me, I know it._

Dumbledore entered the office, cutting her musings short. "Well Ms. Granger, it appears that young Jamie – that is the young squibs name – was being held hostage in order for Voldemort to make negotiations with us. He was going to threaten this young boy's life in return for our young Mr. Potter. " He gazed at Hermione with intensity. "You and Severus have done a great service to the Order of the Phoenix and prevented a young boy from getting mixed up in our wizarding conflicts. That is no small feat. It seems you two were able to work together even better than I have hoped."

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, and ran both hands through her messy hair. "Sir, Sev- I mean Proffessor Snape is still out there. I would like to go back and make sure he is okay. There were two death eaters left and –"

"Ms. Granger, do not trouble yourself. I just received a patronus from him informing me that he has modified the Death Eaters memories and sent them to Azkaban. The house elf he has also dealt with. He will be coming back shortly. Since he is sage, I suggest you go and get yourself settled into Gryffindor Tower once again. I should think you will enjoy a shower after 3 months in a tent with only a wand to cast cleaning charms." Dumbledore said lightly. Hermione laughed despite herself. That was certainly how she felt. And since Severus was okay, she could go.

She excused herself and headed towards Gryffindor tower, her black backpack swung over her shoulder and her entire body aching from the stress of the last three months. Suddenly she stopped short as a realization hit her.

_I can't be his just his student anymore. I'm in love with him. _

Her backpack dropped to the floor and she began to hyperventilate. _Shit, shit, this can't be happening. What happened to it just being a bit of a crush? _His dark eyes rose into her mind unbidden, and the deep rumbles of his voice in her mind made her shiver. She began to pace up and down the corridor, her heart racing at what she had just admitted to herself. She began to mutter and curse, alarming the paintings. A group of students walked by her, stragglers on the way to the Great Hall for dinner. They stared at her oddly. "What are you looking at, bugger off!" She snarled at them in a very Snape like fashion, and they scattered in fear.

Hermione cracked her knuckles, frustrated. She needed to tell him how she felt. Now, as soon as possible, the next time she saw him. If it was in a classroom, she would blurt it out in front of the whole class. She thought a while longer, then a plan formed in her mind. And she had an outfit to go with it.

During Hermione's small panic attack in the corridor, Severus Snape was quite unaware. He was tired to the bone, and just wanted a hot bath and a glass of wine. He stomped irritably up the stairs, and snarled at the unfortunate staircase that wanted to switch while he was walking up it. With a shudder it ceased all movement in fear, allowing him to keep stomping. _Make that two glasses of wine_, he thought darkly as he saw Dumbledore heading towards him with a cheerful smile. _And the debriefing begins._

It wasn't until an hour later that Severus managed to escape Dumbledore's friendly advances. He had insisted upon them having dinner together to celebrate their successful mission. He dragged himself towards his quarters in the dungeons, wondering how Hermione was faring. _It's Ms. Ganger now_, he though sadly. He found he missed his companion more and more. He thought of some things he could have done to extend the mission, and didn't notice it immeadiatley. But then he sensed it. _Someone broke through my wards!_ Years as a spy made him react immediately. His wand was up and every nerve in his body ready, despite his tiredness, to fight.

He nudged the door to the potions classroom open with his foot, and found it deserted and quiet. However, there was light burning behind the door that led to his personal quarters. Carefully he edged towards it, listening hard. He opened the door, wand aloft. He moved through the entrance towards the door to his living room, the only room that was lit up besides the entrance_. Okay, get ready…._ He kicked the door open and beheld-

"Hello Severus. I'm glad your back, I want to talk to you."

It was Hermione. But she looked….._what is she wearing? _Severus stared. The slim figure that had always been hidden by black leggings and various sweaters was now hugged by a scandalous short black dress. Her hair, not restrained by the ponytail he was accustomed too, whirled around her head in wild curls, just brushing her shoulders. Her feet were bare, with deep red toenails. _Merlin…_

He could not find his voice. Never, in all his years, had a woman dressed like this just for him. Even though he was still speechless, warmth glowed in his heart before he tapped it down. _None of that now._

Hermione gave a cat like grin. "Do you like it, sir? I wore it just for you….."

She approached him, light brown eyes locked with black. He backed away quickly, and almost tripped before he found his voice. "Ms Ms Ms MS GRANGER WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?"

She smiled, and turned in a circle. "You like?"

_Oh yes. _

"Ms. Granger, you know I am your teacher-"

"I know. " she cut him off.

She looked at him earnestly for a second.

"I know you are my teacher, I know you are older, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm in love with you."

**Hermione's on the offense! Last chapter will be up soon! Let's see if Severus can get over himself ;) **


	10. Chapter 10

Severus was speechless. Hermione Granger had just told him she loved him. For the first time in his life, a woman had told him she loved him, just like that. Since Lily he had had several brief flings, but nothing serious. This was all new to him, and he felt very vulnerable. He quickly schooled his face into an expressionless mask.

"You do not know me, Ms. Granger. I am not a nice man. "

"I know more than you think," Hermione said softly, moving closer to him. He could smell the fragrance of her hair, and was intensely aware of how near she was to him. She slowly placed a hand on his chest, still clad in his muggle sweater and black coat. He was so tall she had to tip her head back to look at him.

"I am your teacher."

"I know, you said that several times. It seems to be the only argument you have." Hermione said with a smile, but his face remained serious. His warm hands came up to cup her elbows.

"I'm not like the other boys you've dated. I'm jaded and stubborn, and have a role to play in the war that may cost me my life." He wanted to be honest with her, he owed her that much.

"I know. But the war has cost us all a large part of our lives already. And matters of life and death can never be predicted. I find it important to make the most of moments that matter. Like this one."

Her hands rose to brush the dust and grit out of his dark hair, and he stilled, as if any movement on his part would cause her to recoil.

He slipped his hands around her waist despite himself. He was tired of always having to deny himself what he wanted. _I serve Dumbledore, I serve Voldemort. I deserve to have a little freedom in these matters at least. _And just like that, he had made his decision. He wanted, no he _needed_ this woman. _Life is short. Shorter with this war._ "I'm not good at saying how I feel," he said softly. Hermione smiled and nodded. "I gathered as much."

Hermione pressed herself against him, and he moved to kiss her, her mouth soft under his.

Later, they sat in front of the fire. Two empty glasses of wine adorned the small coffee table and Severus had his head in Hermione's lap. They were content in each others presence, and Severus could feel himself drifting off. "How do we keep this a secret?" Hermione asked quietly. "We will have to be discreet until you graduate." He answered sleepily, not wanting to think about it.

"Well then._ Sir_, you will need to act like you did before we started getting along." Hermione cooed, emphasizing the sir in a truly dirty way. He sat up aprubtly, wide awake.

"Do not ever call me sir when we are alone."

"Awww, why not SIR? I think you like it."

"I most certainly do not."

Hermione laughed and hugged him from behind. Suddenly a thought occurred to him.

"MS GRANGER HOW DID YOU GET BY MY WARDS?" He turned swiftly and made a grab for her, but she sqeaked and jumped nimbly away. He chased her, death written on his face. She ran and laughed simultaneously.

"It was just…ah..ha…..a bit of light magic….ah..ha…" she panted after he had caught her and was pinning her to the floor.

" A bit of LIGHT MAGIC?" His wards were the equivalent of the metal layers covering a tank.

She looked at him, panting.

"SIR, I really do think you need my advice on setting proper wards."*

And, for the first time in quite some time, Severus Snape could not stop laughing.

After that, they went back into their normal lives. She attended his classes, he sneered and called her a know it all. But to Hermione's friends something seemed odd. She never got angry when he berated her, or gave her lesser grades for going over the allotted amount of parchment. She just smiled secretly and then shrugged it off.

One day Harry could not stand it any longer, and he mentioned it to Ron. "I reckon somethings not right with Hermione, mate. She doesn't care about her grades anymore! Do you think she's sick?" His eyes were genuinely worried behind his glasses. Ron nodded, his mouth full of turkey as they were just having dinner. " I think we should follow her for a day and see if she has a secret. I'm worried as well." Then he blushed. "I even tried to – well you know- I asked her out and she completely rejected me." Ron sounded sad. "I mean before she went on that mission, I felt like she and I had something. And all of a sudden she's just…..not interested." Harry clapped his best friend on the shoulder. "We'll figure it out."

The next day was a Saturday. Hermione excused herself from breakfast with her usual excuse, that she would study in the library. Harry and Ron disillusioned themselves and followed her quietly. They were delighted when she headed back to Gryffindor tower instead and emerged with makeup and a muggle outfit. She slipped into a soft blue muggle jacket and headed out of the castle. They followed her until the woords, completely mystified.

In a clearing they saw her stop. She waited patiently for a while, until someone appeared with a pop. She squealed happily and ran towards the figure, who was obscured by the trees. She flew into the taller person's arms, and he kissed her. The boys felt suspicious. That tall figure. The flapping cloak. The long black hair. There was _no way._

They're worst fears were confirmed. Their bookworm best friend was walking hand in hand with their potions professor, heading away through the trees towards the Hogsmeade. Harry and Ron sat down on a rock. They no longer wanted to follow. Ron was very pale.

"Er…"

"Should we….?"

"No, its better if we…"

"Yeah….I mean….."

"If she's happy…."

"Er…..I agree"

They stammered around until they had established that they would tell no one and stay out of Hermione's business again, so had the event traumatized them. While they struggled, Hermione and Severus had apparated to a muggle restaurant, where they sat and talked from 8 until 12 at night. Afterwards, they went back to his quarters, and ended up in front of the fireplace, kissing.

Hermione broke away breathlessly. "Did you see that Harry and Ron followed me?" He raised an eyebrow. "With that kind of spellwork I'd be surprised if anyone didn't." Hermione laughed. "They aren't going to tell anyone. I think I saw them turn green before we walked away." And as Severus Snape smiled at the woman in his arms, he was already making plans on how to mentally destroy both Weasely and Potter in Monday's Defense lesson. _I will make them cry. _

**The End**

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